In Finland we have "baby boxes, " a sort of baby shower the Finnish government throws every mom.
A package sent to expecting women contains all the essentials for newborns -- everything from diapers to a tiny sleeping bag.

We don't have it here, but it sounds really awesome. It shows that the government cares about each individual. I especially admire the Finnish education system.

Quote:

Finland has no standardized tests. They don't rank their students, select valedictorians, or even care all that much about grades. Teachers give individualized grades to each student and develop their own tests for their specific classrooms without any input from some central authority. There's no competition in Finnish education, and no university scholarships to compete for, and it works better than any other educational system in the world according to a survey of the world's educational systems, called PISA. 2001

deanhills

Where I am they have Baby Showers, with mom being present to open all of the presents. Usually a female affair only. But in addition, people do the baby box equivalent any way. Send their own gifts.